Orthogonal flux-gate type magnetic sensor

ABSTRACT

A magnetic sensor of orthogonal flux-gate type is provided with a cylindrical core made of a soft magnetic material; an internal conductor that is placed inside the core; a detection coil wound up on the core; and an external conductor that is placed around the core and electrically connected to the internal conductor. A high-frequency current is allowed to flow through the internal core so that a magnetic field to be measured which resides around the detection coil is changed and the intensity and direction of the magnetic field to be measured is detected on the basis of an output of the detection coil. Since the external conductor is placed on the periphery of the core, it is possible to prevent the magnetic flux formed by the core from magnetizing any space, and consequently to concentrate the magnetic field on the core.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a magnetic sensor of orthogonalflux-gate type which can detect the intensity and direction of amagnetic field and a manufacturing method for such a sensor.

Recently, there have been ever-increasing demands for small-sizeinexpensive magnetic sensors with high precision which can detect theintensity of a magnetic field as well as the direction of the magneticfield, and these sensors are used for detection sensors for magneticmarkers on a road related to an automobile assist cruise and advancedhigh way system, magnetic sensors used for electronic compasses andnavigation systems on vehicle equipment, measuring magnetic sensors fora magnetic field of live body such as the heart, and detection magneticsensors for use in non-destructive inspection for steel, etc.

With respect to conventional magnetic sensors of this type, examplesthereof include: Hall elements, MR elements, MI elements,superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), magnetic sensorsof parallel or orthogonal flux-gate type, etc. Among these, the Hallelements are poor in sensitivity, and MR elements, MI elements, etc. areinferior in that since a single element cannot detect the direction of amagnetic field, a plurality of them need to be installed. In contrast,magnetic sensors of both parallel and orthogonal flux-gate types areable to detect the intensity and direction of a magnetic field even wheninstalled as a single sensor. Moreover, these sensors are superior inthe linear property, temperature characteristic and resolution of thedetection output, and in particular, from the viewpoint of detectionprecision, attention has been focused on those of orthogonal flux-gatetype because of their high precision.

FIG. 1A is an explanatory drawing that shows the principle of an elementof orthogonal flux-gate type; FIG. 1B is an explanatory drawing thatshows a magnetic flux formed in the core; FIG. 2 is an explanatorydrawing that shows the operation thereof; and FIG. 3 are waveformdiagrams showing an exciting current, a degree of magnetization in thecore length direction and an output voltage of the detection coil, inthe case when detection for a magnetic field is made by using theelement shown in FIG. 1A.

Reference numeral 21 is a bar-like conductor made by a conductivematerial, 22 is a cylindrical core made by a soft magnetic material, 23is a detection coil, and 25 is a high-frequency power source. Thebar-like conductor 21 is placed coaxially with the core 22 through theinside of the core 22, and the bar-like conductor 21 is connected to thehigh-frequency power source 25. When the magnetic sensor of this type isplaced with the axial line of the bar-like conductor 21 and the core 22aligned in parallel with the direction of a magnetic field to bemeasured, the magnetic flux inside the magnetic field to be measured isattracted toward the core 22 side as illustrated in FIG. 2(a), so that amagnetic path is formed through the core 22.

When an exciting current I_(Ex) having a sine-wave as shown in FIG. 3 isflowed through the rod-like conductor 21, the peripheral face of thecore 22 is magnetized as indicated by arrow in FIG. 2(b) so that theexciting current I_(EX) is allowed to increase from a state shown inFIG. 3(a), and when it reaches a maximum value as shown in FIG. 3(b),the magnetization of the core 22 reaches a saturated state so that themagnetic flux of the magnetic field to be measured is separated from thecore 22 and aligned in parallel with the bar-like conductor 21. In thisstate, the degree of magnetization of the core 22 in the lengthdirection drops in a manner as shown in FIG. 3, and the output (voltage)of the detection coil 23 increases at a position where the rate ofchange in the magnetization in the length direction is great, and at aposition where the rate of change in the exciting current I_(EX) isgreat and when the current I_(Ex) reaches a maximum value or a minimumvalue, the output (voltage) of the detection coil 23 becomes zero.

During the state in which the exciting current I_(EX) decreases from themaximum value and reaches the zero-crossing point, as shown in FIG.2(c), the magnetic flux of the magnetic field to be measured is againallowed to pass through the core 22. When the direction of the excitingcurrent I_(Ex) is reversed, the peripheral face of the core 22 ismagnetized in a reverse direction to the circumferential direction asindicated by arrow in FIG. 2(d) and the exciting current I_(EX)decreases to reach a minimum value, the magnetization of the core 22 isagain allowed to reach a saturated state; thus, the magnetic flux of themagnetic field to be measured is aligned in parallel with the axial lineof the core 22. During this state, the output of the detection coil 23repeats changes in which it becomes greater in the area where theexciting current I_(EX) is great while it becomes zero when the excitingcurrent I_(EX) reaches the minimum value, with the result that it has achange corresponding to 2 cycles in response to a change in the excitingcurrent I_(EX) corresponding to one cycle.

In other words, the exciting current is allowed to flow through thecylinder-shaped core 22 made of a soft magnetic material so as to exciteit in the circumferential direction periodically so that themagnetization in the length direction of the core 22 is switched; thus,the relationship between the core 22 and the magnetic field to bemeasured is changed from FIG. 2(a) to FIG. 2(b), from FIG. 2(b) to FIG.2(c) and from FIG. 2(c) to FIG. 2(d). In this state, the density of themagnetic flux, which resides around the detection coil 23, is allowed tochange so that, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an output voltage (the phaseof the output voltage) corresponding to the intensity (direction) of themagnetic field to be measured is obtained from the detection coil 23.

In an element of such an orthogonal flux-gate type, the fluxdistribution formed by the exciting current I_(EX) flowing through therod-like conductor 21 is shown by FIG. 1B. In other words, the magneticfluxes are formed not only in the core 22 (indicated by a broken line sin the Figure), but also in the circumferential direction (indicated bya broken line t in the Figure) of a space outside the core 22. As aresult, most of them only excite the space, and the magnetic flux failsto concentrate the magnetic field on the core 22, resulting indegradation in magnetic efficiency and wasteful consumption of theexciting current I_(EX). Moreover, in the element of orthogonalflux-gate type, since the detection coil 23 is an indispensable member,one portion of the magnetic fluxes (the broken line t in the Figure),generated in the space outside the core 22, come to reside around thedetection coil 23, causing an exciting signal to be mixed with thedetection output and resulting in degradation in the S/N ratio andresolution. Furthermore, the actual construction of the element oforthogonal flux-gate type is complex as compared with the Hall elements,MR elements, etc., although it is schematically shown in FIGS. 1A and 2so as to show the principle thereof; therefore, another problem is thatit is difficult to miniaturize the construction.

Here, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-90381(1998) hasproposed a magnetic detection element shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is aschematic view that shows the constriction of the conventional magneticdetection element disclosed by the above-mentioned patent application,in which a bar-like conductor 61 made of a copper wire is coated with aninsulating layer 62, and inserted into a soft magnetic tube 63coaxially, and one end of the bar-like conductor 61 is connected to aground conductor 65 through a conductor 64. In such a conventionalmagnetic detection element, a great change in impedance is generated byutilizing a frequency in the vicinity of a resonant point generated byan inductance L and a stray capacitance C by the soft magnetic tube 63,and this change is taken so as to detect the magnetic field.

In the conventional magnetic detection element of this type, the groundconductor 65 forms a LC resonant circuit with the stray capacitance, andis placed in the proximity of the bar-like conductor 61 that forms aninductance so as to eliminate a change in the stray capacitance due toenvironments. Since this magnetic detection element requires nodetection coil, it is originally not necessary to take intoconsideration the influences from the magnetic fluxes residing aroundthe detection coil. Therefore, it is not necessary to prevent an outwardexpansion of exciting magnetic fluxes generated from the magneticdetection element.

Here, since this element is a two-terminal element for detecting achange in the impedance with respect to the outside magnetic field, itonly responds to the intensity of a magnetic field, and does not respondto the direction of a magnetic field, thereby failing to detect thedirection of a magnetic field. Moreover, the magnetic detection elementhaving the above-mentioned construction is characterized in that thechange in impedance is detected; therefore, since no magnetic switchingis required, the value of a current flowing through the conductor issmall, and it is not necessary to take into consideration an increase inpower consumption caused by excitation of the space in practical use.Consequently, it is not possible to apply a construction including theabove-mentioned magnetic detection element to the element of orthogonalflux-gate type.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic sensor oforthogonal flux-gate type which can achieve a small size and lightweight by using a simplified construction, without losing its inherentcharacteristics as an element of orthogonal flux-gate type, and amanufacturing method of such a magnetic sensor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic sensorof orthogonal flux-gate type which can achieve a great reduction inpower consumption and provide a high sensitivity, without losing itsinherent characteristics as an element of orthogonal flux-gate type, anda manufacturing method of such a magnetic sensor.

The magnetic sensor of the present invention has an arrangement in whicha high-frequency current is allowed to flow through an internalconductor that is placed inside a cylindrical core made of a softmagnetic material so that a magnetic field to be measured residingaround a detection coil wound up on the core is changed, and theintensity and direction of the magnetic field to be measured is detectedon the basis of an output of the detection coil. In this arrangement,the magnetic sensor is further provided with an external conductorplaced around of the core, which is electrically connected to theinternal conductor.

Since the external conductor is placed around the core, no space ismagnetized by the magnetic field generated by the current flowingthrough the internal conductor so that the magnetic field can beconcentrated on the core; thus, it is possible to improve the magneticefficiency, and consequently to cut the exciting current. Moreover,since the magnetic field, formed by the flow of the exciting current,can be concentrated on the core, it is possible to efficiently excitethe core even by the use of low power, and also to improve the S/N ratioby preventing an exciting signal from being mixed with the output signalof the detection coil. Furthermore, since the entire core, that is, notonly the surface thereof, but also the inside thereof, can bemagnetically excited in a uniform manner, it is possible to eliminatethe generation of a residual magnetic field and the resultinghysteresis, and consequently to obtain high measuring precision.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, the external conductor is placedat least two positions that faces each other with the core located inbetween. Since the side faces at two corresponding positions of the coreare covered with the external conductor, the sensor has a simplifiedstructure, can be easily manufactured in a small size, and can correctlydetect the intensity and direction of a magnetic field.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, the external conductor has anarrangement in which two ends of a channel member are closed with endplates having holes for allowing the internal conductor to pass throughthem. Thus, since the external conductor is formed by the channelmember, the structure is simplified and it becomes possible to easilymanufacture the sensor.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, the external conductor is formedinto a cylindrical shape. Since the external conductor is formed intothe cylindrical shape, the entire periphery of the core can be coveredwith the external conductor; thus, it is possible to easily magnetizethe core, to reduce the power consumption, and also to provide astructure with high rigidity that is less susceptible to impact,vibration, etc., as well as a high production efficiency in massproduction.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, the internal conductor is formedinto a column shape, and both the external conductor and core are formedinto a cylindrical shape. The magnetic field, which is formed bymagnetizing the core by the exciting current, is not allowed to expandin space, and concentrated on the core; therefore, it is possible toefficiently excite the core even by the use of low power, and also toimprove the S/N ratio by preventing an exciting signal from being mixedwith the output signal of the detection coil. Furthermore, since theentire core, that is, not only the surface thereof, but also the insidethereof, can be magnetically excited in a uniform manner, it is possibleto eliminate the generation of a residual magnetic field and theresulting hysteresis, and consequently to obtain high measuringprecision.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, one or a plurality of slits,extending in the axis length direction, are formed in the peripheralwall of the external conductor. Since the slits are formed in theexternal conductor, it is possible to prevent an eddy current from beinggenerated in the external conductor, and consequently to prevent areduction in the output.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, the internal conductor and theexternal conductor are integrally connected with the respective ends onthe same side being electrically connected. Since the respective ends onthe same side of the internal conductor and external conductor areintegrally connected, it is possible to obtain high rigidity instructure, and consequently to obtain stable measuring precision.

In the above-mentioned magnetic sensor, the core is formed by a tubemade of permalloy or sendust. Therefore, a cylindrical core having asmall diameter with high precision can be manufactured at low costs withhigh productivity.

The method of manufacturing the magnetic sensor of the present inventionis provided with steps of: obtaining a cylindrical core made of a softmagnetic material; inserting and securing an internal conductor into thecore with an insulating coat film interpolated between these; externallyfitting and securing a cylindrical external conductor having slits inits axis length direction onto the periphery of the core with aninsulating material interpolated between these; and winding a detectioncoil on the periphery of the external conductor. In the manufacturingmethod of the present invention, it is possible to mass product magneticsensors with high precision at low costs with uniform quality withoutirregularities in precision.

In the above-mentioned manufacturing method of the magnetic sensor, thecylindrical core made of a soft magnetic material is formed by a tubemade of permalloy. Thus, it is possible to obtain a cylindrical corehaving a great permeability even with a small coercive force. Moreover,it becomes possible to mass manufacture products with stable precision.

In the above-mentioned manufacturing method of the magnetic sensor, thetube made of permalloy is subjected to a heating treatment for severalhours in a range of 1000° C. to 1200° C. so as to improve its softmagnetic property. Thus, it is possible to eliminate machiningdistortion, and consequently to obtain a tube having a preferable softmagnetic property. Since the uniform soft magnetic property is obtained,it is possible to reduce irregularities in precision, and also togreatly improve the resolution.

The above and further objects and features of the invention will morefully be apparent from the following detailed description withaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an explanatory drawing that shows the principle of an elementof orthogonal flux-gate type.

FIG. 1B is an explanatory drawing that shows a magnetic flux formed in acore.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory drawing that shows the operation of the elementof orthogonal flux-gate type shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3 includes waveform diagrams of an exciting current, amagnetization in the longitudinal direction and an output voltage of adetection coil of the element of orthogonal flux-gate type of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing that shows a conventional magneticdetection element.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing that shows the construction of a magneticsensor of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the magnetic sensorshown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the magnetic sensor shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that shows the construction of a detectionunit.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing the construction of a magneticsensor of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8B is a side view of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A is a schematic drawing that shows the construction of a magneticsensor of the third embodiment.

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B—B of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view that shows another construction of themagnetic sensor of the third embodiment.

FIG. 10A is a schematic drawing that shows another construction of theexternal conductor.

FIG. 10B is a schematic drawing that shows still another construction ofthe external conductor.

FIGS. 11A to 11G are explanatory drawings that show processes of amanufacturing method (the fourth embodiment) for a magnetic sensor ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 12A to 12E are explanatory drawings that show processes of amanufacturing method (the fifth embodiment) for a magnetic sensor of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram that shows the construction of a testcircuit.

FIG. 14 is a schematic drawing that shows the construction of a testingdevice.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are graphs that show input/output characteristics thatare test results of a magnetic sensor.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are drawings that show directional characteristicsthat are test results of a magnetic sensor.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are graphs that show test results of resolution of amagnetic sensor.

FIG. 18 is a drawing that indicates characteristics of test results on aresidual output of the magnetic sensor manufactured in the fourthembodiment.

FIG. 19 is a graph that shows direct current bias characteristics ofinductance in an exciting wire in the magnetic sensor manufactured inthe fifth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment

FIG. 5 is a schematic view that shows the construction of a magneticsensor of orthogonal flux-gate type in accordance with the firstembodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view(in which a detection coil is not shown) that shows the construction ofthe first embodiment; and FIG. 6B is a view that shows the constructionof FIG. 6A viewed from the right side (in which the detection coil isnot shown). In these Figures, reference numeral 1 is an internalconductor, 2 is an external conductor, 3 is a core, 4 is a detectioncoil, and 5 is a high-frequency power source.

The internal conductor 1 is made of a known metal or another conductivematerial, and formed into a column shape. In particular, the internalconductor 1 is preferably made of a non-magnetic material so as not togive adverse effects on the core 3 due to offset and hysteresis causedby residual magnetization; and for example, the material is selectedfrom Cu, Al, etc. Moreover, from the same viewpoint as the internalconductor 1, the external conductor 2 is also selected from conductivematerials, and formed into a cylindrical shape with an inner diameterlarger than the diameter of the internal conductor 1. The internalconductor 1 and the external conductor 2 are placed in a coaxial mannerwith the internal conductor 1 located inside and the external conductor2 located outside with an insulating material interpolated between them,and respective ends on the same side of the internal conductor 1 and theexternal conductor 2 are electrically connected to each other with anend plate 2a. The respective ends of the internal conductor 1 and outerconductor 2 are integrally secured to the surface of the end plate 2 aby soldering or welding.

The other end of the internal conductor 1 is positioned in a manner soas to stick outward with a predetermined length from the other end ofthe external conductor 2. An insulating material is affixed onto theouter circumferential face of the internal conductor 1, the inner andouter circumferential faces of the external conductor 2 and the innercircumferential face of the end plate 2 a by means of vapor depositionor coating. The insulating material is placed so as to maintain anelectrical insulation between the opposing faces of the internalconductor 1 and the external conductor 2. Here, in order to obtain theeffects of the magnetic sensor of the present invention more preferably,it is effective to maintain insulation between the internal conductor 1and the core 3, and in order to provide preferable productivity, etc.,it is effective to coat the outer circumferential face of the internalconductor 1 with the insulating material.

Here, inside a cylindrical space section formed between the internalconductor 1 and the external conductor 2, the core 3, formed into acylindrical shape with a soft magnetic material such as permalloy (Ni—Fealloy), sendust (Fe—Al—Si alloy) or soft ferrite, is inserted andfitted. The material of the cylindrical core 3 is a soft magneticmaterial, and required to have a proper soft magnetic property (that is,a coercive force as small as possible with a great permeability).Permalloy (Ni—Fe alloy) is the best material so as to satisfy thisrequirement, followed by sendust (Fe—Al—Si alloy) and then soft ferrite(for example, Mn—Zn system ferrite). Either of the above-mentionedmaterials may be used for the cylindrical core related to the presentinvention, and from the viewpoint of a machining property (forminimizing the diameter) and a soft magnetic property, permalloy is thebest material followed by sendust; thus, a preferable tube shape isobtained. Here, from the viewpoint of a machining property, thepermalloy is the best material. However, permalloy tends to causedegradation in the soft magnetic property due to distortion resultingfrom machining; therefore, it is preferable to improve the soft magneticproperty by subjecting it to a heating treatment (magnetic annealing)after the machining. Additionally, sendust is inherently lesssusceptible to machining distortion, and needs not be subjected to theheating treatment.

One end of the core 3 is inserted to such a position as to contact theinner circumferential face of the end plate 2 a, and the other endthereof is allowed to protrude with a predetermined length from theother end of the external conductor 2. It is not necessary to provide aclosely contact state among the core 3, the internal conductor 1 and theexternal conductor 2, and these members may be maintained in a freelyrotatable state with proper idle spaces from each other. The detectioncoil 4 is wound up around the periphery of the external conductor 2 apredetermined times, and the high-frequency power source 5 is connectedbetween the other ends of the internal conductor 1 and the externalconductor

Here, the present embodiment has exemplified the case in which the innerconductor 1 is formed into a column shape and the external conductor 2and the core 3 are respectively formed into a cylindrical shape;however, the shapes of these members are not particularly limited bythese shapes, and they may of course be formed into, for example, asquare shape, a pentagonal shape or another polygonal shape.

In FIG. 6B, a magnetic field, which is formed when a high-frequencycurrent is allowed to flow between the internal conductor 1 and theexternal conductor 2 in the magnetic sensor of orthogonal flux-gate typeshown in FIG. 5, is indicated by a broken line s with an arrow. Asclearly shown by this Figure, an excited magnetic field, formed by anexciting current flowing through the internal conductor 1 and anexciting current flowing through the external conductor 2, is onlygenerated between the internal conductor 1 and the external conductor 2without magnetizing any space; thus, it is possible to concentrate themagnetic field on the core 3, and consequently to carry out amagnetizing process at low power without any losses. In other words, byplacing the external conductor 2 around the core 3 effectively, theexcited magnetic flux leaking outside the external conductor 2 isreduced to substantially zero, and the aforementioned effects are thusobtained.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that shows the construction of a detectionunit connected to the detection coil 4, and in this Figure, referencenumeral 6 represents an oscillating/dividing circuit. Two kinds ofhigh-frequency powers of 7 kHz and 14 kHz are outputted from theoscillating/dividing circuit 6, and the high-frequency wave of 7 kHz isapplied to the internal conductor 1 and the external conductor 2 as asine-wave exciting current, and the high-frequency wave of 14 kHz isapplied to a phase sensitive detector 8. A voltage signal that is adetection signal of the detection coil 4 is inputted to a band-passfilter (BPF) 7 at which noise is eliminated therefrom, and inputted tothe phase sensitive detector 8 at which the phase is detected, and theninputted to a smoothing filter 9. The smoothing filter 9 smoothes thephase-detected signal inputted thereto, and outputs a positive ornegative detection signal corresponding to the intensity and directionof the magnetic field to a detection circuit 40. Thus, the detectioncircuit 40 detects the intensity and direction of the magnetic fieldbased upon the detection signal.

Second Embodiment

In the second embodiment, a slit extending in the axis length directionis formed in one portion in the circumferential direction of theexternal conductor 2. FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing theconstruction of the second embodiment, FIG. 8B is a side view thereof(in which the detection coil 4 is not shown). Other members, such as theinternal conductor 1, the external conductor 2, and the core 3, havesubstantially the same constructions as those of the first embodiment;and the corresponding members are represented by the same referencenumbers and the description thereof is omitted. In the secondembodiment, since a slit 2 b is formed, it is possible to prevent aneddy current from being generated on the surface of the externalconductor 2, and consequently to effectively prevent a reduction in theoutput voltage and an increase in noise due to the generation of theeddy current.

Third Embodiment

In the third embodiment, the external conductor is constituted by a pairof parallel conductors, and covers the core 3 with two side faces thatface each other with the core 3 located in between. FIG. 9A is aschematic drawing that shows the construction of the third embodiment,and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B—B of FIG. 9A.In the Figures, reference numeral 1 is an internal conductor, 10 is anexternal conductor, 3 is a core, 4 is a detection coil, and 5 is ahigh-frequency power source.

Parallel plate-shaped conductors 10 a and 10 b, which constitute theexternal conductor 10, and are made by a conductive material, areintegrally connected to each other at their ends by end plates 10 c and10 d that are made by the same conductive material, and a hole is openedin each of the end plates 10 c and 10 d in the center thereof. The core3, which is formed into a cylindrical shape with a soft magneticmaterial, is placed between the parallel conductors 10 a and 10 b, andalso interpolated between the end plates 10 c and 10 d with its lengthdirection being coincident with the length direction of the externalconductor 10. The internal conductor 1 is inserted into the core 3 fromthe end plates 10 c through its hole, and with one end of the internalconductor 1 being inserted into the hole of the end plate 10 c, thisportion is soldered or brazed, with the other end of the internalconductor 1 sticking outward from the end plate 10 d with apredetermined length. In the third embodiment, the formation of theexternal conductor 10 is easily carried out, and the entire assemblingprocesses are also easily carried out.

FIG. 9C, which shows another construction of the external conductor 10,is a cross-sectional view that corresponds to FIG. 9B, and the externalconductor 10 is constituted by a channel member having a concave shapein its cross-section with its both ends in the length direction beingclosed by end faces. The other members such as the internal conductor 1,the core 3, the detection coil 4, etc., have substantially, the sameconstructions as those shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. In this arrangement ofthe external conductor 10, the core 3 is covered with the parallelconductors 10 a and 10 b constituting the external conductor 10, and aconductor 10 e connecting these; thus, magnetic lines of force at thetime of magnetizing the core 3 are allowed to enter the parallelconductors 10 a and 10 b and the conductor 10 e so as to magnetizethese. Therefore, the magnetic field can be further concentrated on thecore 3 and it becomes possible to carry out an efficient magnetizingprocess at low power.

Here, with respect to the external conductor 10 in the third embodiment,in addition to the construction shown in FIG. 9B or FIG. 9C, an externalconductor 10 p having a semi-cylindrical shape in its cross-section asshown in FIG. 10A may be adopted, or plate-shaped external conductors 10q, placed in the three directions with an angle of 120° from each otherin the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. 10B, may be adopted.

In other words, these arrangements and constructions of the externalconductor make it possible to reduce excited magnetic fluxes leakingoutside the external conductor, and it is preferable to use theconstruction in which the external conductor completely surrounds theperiphery of the core as shown in FIG. 5; however, depending on theproductivity, required precision, etc., various constructions other thanthe above-mentioned constructions may be adopted. Examples thereofinclude a construction in which an odd number of plate-shaped externalconductors 10, such as 3, 5 or 7 number of them, are placed around thecore 3, or an even number of plate-shaped external conductors 10, suchas 4, 6, or 8 of them, are placed around the core 3.

Fourth Embodiment

The fourth embodiment is a manufacturing method for the magnetic sensorshown in FIGS. 9A and 9B as the third embodiment. FIGS. 11A to 11G areexplanatory drawings that show main manufacturing processes of themagnetic sensor. First, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, a plate of 3 mm inwidth, 7 to 8 mm in length and 0.013 mm in thickness, which was made ofpermalloy, was prepared. This plate was folded into a cylindrical shapewith both of the side edges in the width direction being allowed tocontact each other, and as illustrated in FIG. 11B, both of the contactedges were connected to each other by means of spot welding so that acore 3 having a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter of 0.8 mm and alength of 8 mm, was formed, and this was subjected to a heatingtreatment (annealing) at 1100° C. for three hours, as illustrated inFIG. 11C.

Next, a pair of parallel conductors made of Cu, which face each otherwith the core 3 interpolated in between, were closed at its respectiveends by end plates 10 c and 10 d and a round hole was formed in each ofthe end plates 10 c and 10 d in the center thereof; thus, an externalconductor 10 was formed, and the core 3 was housed inside thereof. Then,as illustrated in FIG. 11D, the holes of the respective ends of the core3 were aligned from the inside thereof to face holes 10 f and log of theend plates 10 c and 10 d of the external conductor 10, and in thisstate, a bar-like internal conductor 1 was allowed to penetrate the hole10 f, the core 3 and the hole 10 g in this order from one end of theexternal conductor 10. Then, the leading end was integrally secured tothe peripheral edge of the hole 10 g by means of brazing or welding, asillustrated in FIG. 11E. The portion of the internal conductor 1 whichcomes in contact with the core 3 is provided with an electricalinsulating material. In this state, the base end portion of the internalconductor 1 was maintained in a manner so as to extend before the hole10 f with a predetermined length.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11G a bobbin 19 made of an insulatingmaterial, which has a square shape, in its cross-section, of 3 mm ineach of the lateral and longitudinal sides and 8 mm in length on itsmiddle portion, and also has collar edges 19 a and 19 b on the peripheryportions of the respective ends, was prepared, and a lead wire having adiameter of 90 μm was wound around the peripheral face thereof 100 timesso as to attach a detection coil 4 thereto, and this was then externallysecured to the external conductor 10 to which the core 3 and theinternal conductor 1 had been attached as shown in FIG. 11F. Thus, inprinciple, the same magnetic sensor as shown in the third embodiment wasmanufactured.

Fifth Embodiment

FIGS. 12A to 12E are explanatory drawings that show main manufacturingprocesses of a magnetic sensor that are suitable for mass producing themagnetic sensor of the present invention. First, a tube 30 made ofpermalloy was prepared, as illustrated in FIG. 12A. The material of thetube 30 was made up of Ni: 80 wt %, Mo; 5 wt % and Fe. The tube 30 wasmanufactured in the following sequence: An elongated belt-shaped platemade of the above-mentioned composition, having a thickness of 0.18 mmand a width of 12. 8 mm, was bent from one end side in the widthdirection in a manner so as to fold, and both of the edges in the widthdirection were allowed to contact each other; and in this state, thecontact portion was welded so as to obtain a seam welded pipe made ofpermalloy; and this was then subjected to a draw machining process byusing a plug and die. The resulting tube 30 was subjected to a softannealing (at 800° C. to 1000° C., for one to five minutes and in ahydrogen atmosphere) so as to conduct following processes easily, andagain subjected to a wire drawing process; thereafter, this was cut intopredetermined lengths so as to obtain tubes 31 having a predeterminedsoft magnetic property. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12B, the resultingtube 31 was subjected to a heating treatment (magnetic annealing) so asto improve the soft magnetic property.

The above-mentioned heating treatment (magnetic annealing) was carriedout in an atmosphere of Ar or another inert gas in a temperature rangeof 1000° C. to 1200° C. (more preferably, 1100° C. to 1150° C.) for 1 to4 hours (more preferably, for 3 hours). The conditions of the heatingtreatment for the tube 31 and the resulting magnetic properties areshown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Heating treatment temperature/hours 1 hr 2 hr 3 hr 4 hr 1000° C.Hc 700 mOe 180 mOe 55 mOe 45 mOe μm  5,000 20,000  65,000 80,000 1100°C. Hc 100 mOe 30 mOe 10 mOe 8 mOe μm 25,000 100,000 450,000 550,0001200° C. Hc  70 mOe 20 mOe  8 mOe 6 mOe μm 35,000 220,000 560,000746,000 Material: Ni; 80 wt %, Mo; 5 wt %, Fe The heating treatment wascarried out in a hydrogen atmosphere, followed by a cooling process. Hc:Coercive force, μm; Maximum specific permeability

As clearly seen from Table 1, various magnetic properties are obtainedby the heating treatment temperature and heating treatment time;therefore, the heating treatment temperature and heating treatment timemay be properly selected depending on magnetic properties, such as thecoercive force Hc and maximum specific permeability μm, required. Thetube 31 thus obtained had properties such as, for example, tensilestrength: 69.9 kg/mm², rate of extension: 35.8%, and hardness (Hv): 162(1 kg). Moreover, the dimensions of the tube 31 are, for example, shownin the following Table 2:

TABLE 2 Machining dimension Outer Inner Thickness Length diameter mmdiameter mm mm mm 0.4 0.24 0.08 10 0.3 0.14 0.08 10

The above-mentioned heating treatment allows the tube 31 to have uniformsoft magnetic properties as a whole. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12C, awiring material 32 made of Mo, which serves as an internal conductor andis coated with an insulating film 33 made of Al₂O₃, was inserted to theinside of the tube 31 having been subjected to the heating treatmentfrom one end thereof, and this was integrally secured thereto by using abonding agent, etc in a state where the wiring material 32 and theinsulating film 33 were allowed to stick out on the leading end sidewith a predetermined length.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12D, onto the periphery of the tube 31 withthe internal conductor fitted and secured to the inside thereof, acylinder body 34, which forms an external conductor, is made of Cu witha thickness of 0.1 mm, and has a slit 34 a formed at one portion in thecircumferential direction thereof in a manner so as to extend in theaxis length direction along the entire length, is externally fitted. Aninsulating material is affixed on the inner circumferential face of thecylinder body 34 or the outer circumferential face of the tube 31, andthe cylinder body 34 is bonded and secured to the outer circumferentialface of the tube 31 with the insulating material interpolated inbetween. The cylinder body 34 is secured in a manner so as to beseparated by the slit 34 a. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 12E, thewiring material 32 made of Mo, which sticks out from one end of the tube31, is bent over and this is soldered onto the outer circumferentialface of one end of the cylinder body 34. A detection coil 35, coatedwith an insulating film, is wound along the outer circumferential faceof the cylinder body 34; thus, the respective ends form detection outputterminals. Moreover, a terminal 34 b is soldered on the outercircumferential face of the other end of the cylinder body 34, and ahigh-frequency power source is connected between this terminal 34 b andthe wiring material 32 made of Mo that serves as the internal conductor.As described above, in principle, the same magnetic sensor as describedin the second embodiment is manufactured.

The following description will discuss the results of tests that werecarried out on the magnetic sensors manufactured in accordance with thefourth and fifth embodiments by using a test circuit and a testingdevice as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram that shows the construction of the testcircuit, and as illustrated in FIG. 14, a magnetic sensor is placed on amounting base installed between Helmholtz coils 14 and 15, and thedetection coil 4 of the magnetic sensor is connected to a detection unit50. Two kinds of high-frequency power of 7 kHz and 14 kHz are outputtedfrom the oscillating/dividing circuit 6 in the detection unit 50, and ofthese, the high-frequency of 7 kHz is applied to the internal conductorand the external conductor as a sine-wave excitation output, and on theway to these, noise is detected therefrom by a noise meter 41. Moreover,the high-frequency of 14 kHz is applied to the phase sensitive detector8.

A voltage signal that is a detection signal of the detection coil 4 isinputted to the BPF 7 at which noise is eliminated therefrom, andinputted to the phase sensitive detector 8 at which the phase isdetected, and then inputted to the smoothing filter 9. The smoothingfilter 9 smoothes the phase-detected signal inputted thereto; thus, thedetection circuit 40 is allowed to obtain a detection outputcorresponding to the intensity and direction of the magnetic field.Consequently, the detection circuit 40 finds the detection results (theintensity and direction of the magnetic field) based upon the detectionoutput.

FIG. 14 is a schematic drawing that shows the construction of thetesting device. In the testing device, a case 11, which has a cubicshape with each side having 12 cm, with each of the surrounding sixfaces being shielded by a plate (0.5 mm in thickness) made of permalloyso as to avoid influences from Earth's magnetic field, is formed. In thecenter of the inside thereof, a pair of support plates 12 and 13 arevertically placed in parallel with each other with a predetermined gap(approximately, 16 mm), and Helmholtz coils 14 and 15, each having adiameter of 32 mm, are secured to the respective opposing faces thereofin a coaxial manner, and a sample base 17, which is secured to the topof a freely rotatable support pillar 16, is placed between the Helmholtzcoils 14 and 15. Here, reference numeral 18 is a rotary angle scaleplate attached to the support pillar 16. As illustrated in FIG. 13, amagnetic sensor is placed on the sample base 17, and connected to thedetection unit 50 so as to carry out a test.

The magnetic sensor manufactured in the fourth embodiment was placed onthe sample base 17, and power is applied to the Helmholtz coils 14 and15 so that a magnetic field was formed between these with a variableintensity. Further, the sample base 17 was rotated so that the angle θmade by the orientation (the axis direction of the internal conductor 1and the external conductor 2) of the magnetic sensor and the directionof the magnetic field was changed; thus, the detection signal of themagnetic sensor was sampled each time the change was made.

FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B show input/output characteristics that are thetest results of the respective magnetic sensors manufactured in thefourth and fifth embodiments, and the sampling results of the appliedmagnetic flux density (mG) were plotted on the axis of abscissa, andthose of the output voltage (V) serving as the detection signal wereplotted on the axis of ordinate. In these graphs, marks □ and  showcases in which the application direction of the magnetic field withrespect to the magnetic sensor is reversed between positive (upward inthe graph of FIG. 15A) and negative (downward in the same). As clearlyindicated by these graphs showing the characteristics, in the case whenthe input/output ratio is set to 2V/G, the output voltage (V) changes ina substantially linear fashion in a range of 1 mG to 1 G with respect tothe change in the applied magnetic flux density, thereby indicating thata superior linear property is exerted.

FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B show directional characteristics that are the testresults of the respective magnetic sensors manufactured in the fourthand fifth embodiments, and the graphs indicate sampling results of theoutput voltage (V) obtained by changing the angle θ in the axisdirection of the internal conductor 1 and the external conductor 2 ofthe magnetic sensor with respect to the application direction of themagnetic field (with an applied magnetic flux of 0.5 G in the directionof 0°). As clearly indicated by these directional characteristics, theoutput voltage is the greatest in the directions of 0° and 180° C. andthe output voltage is substantially zero in the directions of 90° and270°; this indicates that superior directional characteristic areexerted.

FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B show the results of test on resolution of therespective magnetic sensors manufactured in the fourth and fifthembodiments, and the time (seconds) was plotted on the axis of abscissa,and the output voltage (mV) was plotted on the axis of ordinate. Withrespect to the tests for the magnetic sensor manufactured in the fourthembodiment, the intensity of the magnetic field was changed in a steppedmanner on the basis of 1 mG, and with respect to the tests for themagnetic sensor manufactured in the fifth embodiment, the intensity ofthe magnetic field was changed in a stepped manner on the basis of 0.5mG; thus, the results of the output voltage (mV) were foundrespectively. As clearly indicated by these graphs, step responsewaveforms of 1 mG and 0.5 mG can be clearly discriminated.

FIG. 18 shows characteristics that are the test results of the residualoutput of the magnetic sensor manufactured in the fourth embodiment, andthe angle was plotted in the circumferential direction and the outputvoltage was plotted in the radial direction. In this test, in a statewhere no power was applied to the Helmholtz coils 14 and 15 in thetesting device shown in FIG. 14, the sample base 17 was rotated so as todetect the residual magnetic flux density of the core 3 inside the case11. The results show that the output voltage is not more than 2 mV, thatis, the residual magnetic flux density of the core 3 is not more than 1mG. With respect to the magnetic sensor manufactured in the fifthembodiment also, substantially the same test results were obtained. Fromthese results, it is confirmed that a predetermined magnetic field wasaccurately applied to the magnetic sensor by completely eliminatingdisturbance factors such as Earth's magnetic field.

FIG. 19 shows test results obtained by measuring the direct current biascharacteristics of the inductance of the magnetic sensor manufactured inthe fifth embodiment by using an LC meter. FIG. 19 is a graph that showsthe direct current bias characteristics of the inductance of theexciting lead wire, and the bias direct current (mA) was plotted on theaxis of abscissa, and the inductance (μH) was plotted on the axis ofordinate. In FIG. 19, mark □ indicates the case of diameter 0.3 mm, andmark  indicates the case of diameter 0.4 mm. As clearly indicated bythis graph, with respect to the tube, the smaller the diameter, thelower the inductance even in the case of a small bias current. In otherwords, even a small exciting current may be used to magneticallysaturate the core, thereby making it possible to reduce the excitingcurrent.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit of essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than bythe description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metesand bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and boundsthereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A magnetic sensor, comprising: a cylindrical coremade of a soft magnetic material; an internal conductor that is placedinside the core; an external conductor that is placed around the coreand electrically connected to the internal conductor; and a detectioncoil wound up on the external conductor, wherein an AC current isallowed to flow through the internal conductor and external conductor sothat a magnetic field to be measured residing around the detection coilis changed, and the intensity and direction of the magnetic field to bemeasured is detected on the basis of an output of the detection coil. 2.The magnetic sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein the externalconductor is placed at least two positions that face each other with thecore located in between.
 3. The magnetic sensor as defined in claim 1,wherein the external conductor is constituted by a channel member havingtwo ends that are closed by end plates, each plate having a hole throughwhich the internal conductor is allowed to pass.
 4. The magnetic sensoras defined in claim 1, wherein the external conductor is formed into acylindrical shape.
 5. The magnetic sensor as defined in claim 1, whereinthe internal conductor is formed into a column shape and the externalconductor and the core are respectively formed into a cylindrical shape.6. The magnetic sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein one or a pluralityof slits are formed on a peripheral wall of the external conductor in amanner so as to extend in an axis length direction.
 7. The magneticsensor as defined in claim 1, wherein the internal conductor and theexternal conductor are integrally connected to each other withrespective ends thereof on the same side being electrically connected toeach other.
 8. The magnetic sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein thecore is formed by a tube made of permalloy or sendust.
 9. A magneticsensor device, comprising: a magnetic sensor including; a cylindricalcore made of a soft magnetic material, an internal conductor that isplaced inside the core, an external conductor that is placed around thecore and electrically connected to the internal conductor, and adetection coil wound up on the external conductor; a power source forapplying an AC current to the internal conductor so as to change amagnetic field to be measured that resides around the detection coil;and a detection unit for detecting the intensity and direction of themagnetic field to be measured based upon a detection signal from thedetection coil.